Extraction ob stti



srarns PATENT OFFICE.

max EnBIe, or rnnnnrxssran, NORWAY.

I rnocnss FOR THE nxraacrron or SULFUR, amour METAL sntr'rns.

ima ne.

No Brewing;

L-Z'o alltbh om it may concern I Be 1t known that I, Max HELBIG, of Fredariksstad, in the Kingdom of Norway, have inyented certain new and useful Improveobject m nts in Processes for the Extracti n Iiilfur declare the following to be a. full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such "as w1ll enab-le others skilled in the art to wh ch, -1t appertains to make and use the same; I

' The invention relates to the treatment of s'lilfid ores or other metal sulfids with the obect of obtaining sulfur'and has for its obect a process by means of which metal phosphid is obtained as a'by product.

According to the hitherto lmownprocesses the extraction of the sulfur contained in metal sulfids such as for instance the iron s'uflfid FeS -(iron pyrite) is connected with Such difficulties that they cannot be prac- ,ised with economical advantage on a commercial scale. v

' The present. invention now 1 has for its a process bywhich these difficulties are-avoided. v

This process allows of extracting the sulfar of the snlfid's in an elemental state at the same time as the metal sulfide are converted into technically valuable phosphids for instance ferro-phosphorus (Fe P) To obtain. this result a charge consisting of the-sulfid in question, a phosphate as well as fi'uxing materials and carbonaceous reducing material is melted down. The 'composition of the charge as Well .as temperature and other conditions are so controlled as to causethe phosphorus of the phosphate Iron'pyrite in which the principal constituent is their-on sulfid FeS is mixed with apatite, coke. and quartzv 1n proportlons so calculated as to correspond to the equation:

of phosphorus.

The process is suitably carried into efi'ect' Specification of Letters Patent. I .Patented Sept, 9; 1919, A pp lication filed April 15, 1919. Serial No. 290,271. I

One third of the. sulfur will be distilled off solely by the action of the heat. The rest of the sulfur is expelled as a result of the reaction between. the components of the p H charge. from Metal .Sulfids; and I do here- In the described manner it is possible by the use of a quantity of pyrite corresponding to 100 parts b. w. of FeS, to obtain about 53 parts b. w. of sulfur 53 parts b. w. of ferrophosphorus with a content of 21 per cent.

in closed. furnaces preferably electrically heated, which are connected with suitable purification and condensation devices for the escaping sulfur vapors.

Metal phesphid and slag ista-pped off periodically or continuously.

I claim:

1. Process for the extraction of surfur from metal'sulfids consisting in heating with a charge containing the metal sulfid a phosphate as Well as a silicions flux and carbonaceous reducing material so proportioned as to causethe phosphorus of the :phosphate to combine with the metal of the sulfid, while the sulfur of the sulfid escapes with the gaseous reaction products.

2. Process for the production of sulfur from metal sulfids, which consists in heating a mixture of the sulfid with calcium phosphate, a silicious flux, and carbon so proportioned as to cause the entire phosphorus of the phosphate to combine with the metal of the sulfid to form a phosphid, the entire sulfur of the sulfid escaping in the form of elemental sulfur.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my in'ventionI have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX HELBIG.

WVitnesses:

Aoeosr Emcee, OLGA Momma. 

